


Repossessed

by AbyssinalPhantom



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life but the AI is Self Aware
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, benrey is an eldritch being, more like enemies to friends briefly back to enemies to lovers, skeleton plays a big roll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26174038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbyssinalPhantom/pseuds/AbyssinalPhantom
Summary: Repossess. Transitive Verb: 1)  to possess again 2) regain possession of, especially for nonpayment of money due.Skeletons don't need money, but a certain one does believe that Benrey isn't keeping up on his dues, and will see to it that he is repaid in full. By any means necessary.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 98





	Repossessed

**Author's Note:**

> This'll prob be a long and angst filled ride, as angst is the only thing i know how to write. So sit back and enjoy :3  
> Slight tw for throwing up (its just water and not super descriptive but just in case!)

Gordon blinked awake. Or at least he thought he did. Everything was still black, no matter how many times he blinked. Whatever he was laying on was soaking wet. Gordon briefly wondered if he had another nightmare of the Black Mesa incident and just needed to change the sheets from his sweat. 

He shook his head. No. There was a lot more water than just that. Gordon sat up, noticing how he was indeed apparently laying in a pool of black water about four to six inches deep. 

“What the fuck.” he said, panicked. The water reminded him of the room he fought Benrey in a month or so ago, although that liquid was red and he noticed he wasn’t wearing the HEV suit, and was instead wearing his casual clothes he had worn the day before. It didn’t stop the deja vu he felt. All the vivid memories of their final showdown flashed through his mind like an old movie reel being replayed. Gordon’s heart began to race as his eyes darted around, looking for something, anything that was going to do him harm. 

But there was nothing moving in the shadows. Actually, there was just nothing. No walls, no buildings within sight, no light. Just the vast empty darkness and the dampness of the water around him. 

“Easy Gordon.” He said to himself, as he slowly got to his feet and tried to calm his racing pulse rate. He stood there for a few minutes, listening intently and focusing on normalizing his breathing. He adjusted his glasses and wrung the water from his hair, the drops collecting back into the pool with gentle plips was the only noise he heard. 

Tentatively Gordon called out to the void, “Hello?”

No answer. Not even an echo.

“Okay then…” He muttered to himself. Picking a random direction he started walking off, deciding anything was better than just standing around alone in the dark. The sound of the water sloshing at his feet resonated loudly in the quiet atmosphere while Gordon collected his thoughts and tried pushing back the old memories of Black Mesa. 

Those days were behind him now. After the whole fight with Benrey and that strange birthday party for Tommy, everything went fairly back to normal. Gordon went back to living in his apartment, having received a large sum of money in the form of a check from his place of work that alluded that there was to be no talk about what had transpired within those walls, and that the place would be most likely shutting down. It was a hefty amount that could pay his rent for years if necessary. 

Which worked out for Gordon. He didn’t think he could stand going back there willingly. And besides, it gave him more time to focus on his son, Joshua, who he was now looking after for the summer. 

Dr. Coomer ended up buying a house with Bubby that was only about a fifteen minute commute away from Gordon’s place. 

“We should stay nearby, Gordon! That way if you ever need us we’ll be there for eachother.” Dr. Coomer had stated. Gordon knew he was doing it to be supportive, an offering of a life line to reach out to for all the trauma after the incident. Which Gordon was grateful for, even after Bubby’s begrudging snarky remarks, he knew the other scientist also cared deeply for the rest of the science team’s wellbeing as well.

Gordon hadn’t yet taken that offer, trying as usual to trudge through it alone. Although he admitted to himself as he wandered around the vast expanse of this void that he probably could use it. It wasn't that he was afraid to ask, or that he felt like it was some sort of weakness, he just didn’t want to bother the other scientists. After all, they were probably dealing with their own trauma, and they didn’t need added baggage. Gordon could handle it by himself. 

Tommy had also moved fairly close to the rest of them, just in the opposite direction. He seemed to be content living by himself with Sunkist and quickly got a job at the local pet store. All the animals and work staff there seem to instantly take a liking with him, making it the perfect job for him. 

Gordon was tempted to stop by a few times, honestly considering getting a pet now that he had more free time with Black Mesa shutting down. Joshua would most likely be ecstatic at the proposal of a new family member, and it would teach him about responsibility and how to care for an animal. A pet would also have the bonus of helping Gordon keep from being lonely when Joshua had to go back to live with his mother. Maybe later in the week he’d take Joshua and they could spend a day and ask Tommy for his advice on what kind of pet to get. 

Gordon sighed. Thinking of his son and friends was soothing, but it felt like he had been walking for hours. It was incredibly boring. Black water stretched out all around him and still no landmarks in sight. The fast emptiness surrounded him. Surely there was something here, it couldn’t go on forever could it? He was starting to think of giving up on walking and just waiting it out, hopefully waking up from this deranged dream soon.

And then he heard something. 

Gordon strained his ears to listen. There was a voice. It was a faint and breathless whisper. Gordon was having a hard time locating it, as it seemed to emanate from nowhere and yet all around.Then shortly after another voice seemed to join and merge with it, wistfully murmuring to Gordon with questions he could neither quite hear or understand. 

“Who’s there?” Gordon asked, looking around for the source. “Hello?”

More voices joined in, seemingly swirling around him, getting slightly louder with each new addition. They were each talking over each other trying to grab his attention. A steady pressure was beginning to build in Gordon’s head as he struggled to untangle what they were saying.

“I- I can’t understand you.” Gordon stated. He winced and grabbed his head as a piercing pain shot through his mind. 

Y͈̰̌ȏ̠͇̋u̼̙̣̒̑̐ ̲̊c͍͈̻̐̕͘̚ͅo͈͍̺͕̅̐̃̈ŭ͚ld̲̮͚͕̾̈̃͒͜'̦̒v̹̟͆̈e̡̳̳͚̾̐̀͞ ̡̼̮͓̬͛̀̂͑͘h̡͕̤͊̉͂̐͜͜͡el̛͓͔͈͙̺͛̐͒͝p̡̫̞̲̓̑͒͝e͓ḓ̭̃̊ h̪͉͓͑̿́i͕̣͍͖̓̓̽͛m͎͖͗ ͚͈̎̃̓ͅĢ̗̣̭̅̇̄͒o̪̫͐͊̔͜r͇̦̰̬͑̆̐̋d̲͎͎̠̲͑̅̈̅͘o͈̘̲̫̔͌͛͡n.

“Ah! What the- what the fuck?” Gordon hissed. He could vaguely comprehend what they were saying, but it was staticy, like a bad radio connection. The disembodied voices sounded both male and female as if they were merged into one being. It also hurt when they spoke. It felt like someone just hammered a nail into his brain. “Saved who? How do you know my name? Who are you?”

There was a pause, a brief silence and slight reprieve of pressure. Gordon thought maybe it had vanished and gone away, but then it spoke again.

I͒͊t͑̌’͛̃͂̈́̃s̉̈̓ͮͩ ͤͣͦ̊ͦ̽̕å̈́ͬ͋͌͏gͫͨ̃o̶nͥͫͧ̍̀̑̎i͗̂ͮͩ̐̿̆z̛͆ͨͣ̂i͆͂n͜ǧ̛ ̽G̡̽̄̚o͌r̊͐͑̌ͨ͢d̏ͭ̓̇oͫ̀̉͆̍̅̎n̴͊̄̅ͦͧ̃̐.̍̾͡

Gordon gritted his teeth as a fresh new wave of searing pain washed over him. This time it felt like someone just took two burning wires and tried to jumpstart his brain. Gordon cried out, stumbling and nearly dropping to his knees, clutching his head protectively in his hands. “Wh- What do you want from me?”

I̿̋̽ͪ͑͛͆͢ ͌̊ͧf̸ͭ̔͊e̵͗ͬͤlͧ̀̈͐̌҉t ̆̚e̐ͯv̶̔ë҉ŗ̏͆̿ͯͨ̍̚y̿ͭ̐t̢̿̒ͩͩ̈́̔ͧh̡͒ͮ̋in̷͂ͪ̈͒̒̂g͏ ̓ͬͣt͝h́̑̀̔̐ẽ̵̓y̧ͫ̒ ̐ͩ҉f̐̓̾ͪe̷̋l̡͛̍̔ͧ̒tͪͬ̀ͮ̈́̄.

“You’re not making any sense! Felt everything who felt?” Gordon shouted feebly. His head felt like it was going to split in two. He needed to get out. Get away from this pulsing pain in his head. He felt like he was talking to a brick wall. A brick wall that only gave him an overwhelming affliction of pain. He turned and ran. It didn’t matter what direction. As long as it was away.

ͦ̽͐ͣ̎̉̉ȉ̀͐̌̄̑ͤ ̸̔̏̏ͥͤ̄ͫcͮ͑̓͑̊͂͏a͗͟n̛̾ͥͫ ̄̉̾̌̽fͫ̎͋ę̇ͭ͊̇el̑̉̋̊ͪ ͩͭ̈̀̓mͭ̀͊̀̇͒ý̽̌͂́̉̆͠ b͌̉̇̈o̊ͯ̄dͮ̽ͩ͋ỷ̛̏̋ ̄͝t̔̂ͤͤö́̿ͦ̐̏̄r͒ͮͨ̌ͥ̀n̆̂̓ ̀͊aͩ̈̓pͨ͋ǎ͆r̆̐͗͂̂͠t̴̓ ̍̅ͬ

Gordon shut his eyes, trying to block out the noise and pounding agony. He tried focusing on the sounds of the splashing of the water as he ran. 

.́͟ ̙̚Ị̡̲̏̾̓̚͜ ͈̖̲̽̎̄t̤͍̝̩͆̀͗̀h͔̘͘͝į̖̥̘̂̀̿̉n̼̄k̳̎ ̢̻̮̫̿̌̄͞I'̬̈m̜̰͐͋̊͢ ̼͎̥͐͗̋̀͜ğ͙͢͜͠o̺͇̙̓̆͗͜inğ̢̧̛̻̹͑̋ ̘̏t̘̕o̧̳̱͔͂̽̃̓ ͕̘̍̌͌͟d̩̝̪́͌ǐ̥̙̹̟̒̆͠e̩̤͇̦̒͘͝.

Gordon brought up his hands to cover his ears, hoping it’d help or ease the noise. It didn’t. 

H̨͘ḛ͎̀͞l̞̾p͕̩̽͡ ̪̕m̡̱̙͆͡͞ė͎̲ G̪͇͎̔̔̏o͎͐ŗ͔̳̑̄̿d͉͇̰͕͛̍͂̂o̡̹͌͑n.̱̪̮͚͛̓́̓

“How! How do I help you? Please, just get out of my head!” Gordon cried. He didn’t slow his pace. Just prayed that the voice would give pity on him and give him a straight answer to his question and leave him be. Weirdly, everything that was being said was sounding so familiar and yet he couldn’t quite hear his own thoughts over the static of the voices.

͝T̶̈̔͛h̷̾̆ͨ̾̽̍e̶r̵̿͌̐́eͣ'͗s͊̍ ̄͐͌̄ͧ̚͢n͆͑̐oͯt̃͟h̷̅ͤ̑ͯ̋ͨ̇iͪͯ̍̔̃̊n͏gͫͣͨ͊̏̃͝ ̧o̎̋̅ͣ͌ͥ̄͝uͫ̓̓̍ͭͮ͏t ͮ͊͜ť̇͑̽͢h̵ͫͩ͛̓e̔̆̓ͧ̓̓͌r̂҉e̓

Oh. Suddenly it clicked. Everything the disembodied voice had said had come from someone back at Black Mesa. Was this his conscious playing some sort of twisted joke on him? A boring dream turning into a malicious nightmare? A way of throwing his old trauma back in his face when all he wanted to do was forget about the whole incident and move on with his life?

T̅͗̀ͮ͜H́ͪ͋̇̎̄̚͢ER̈E͋'͐ͪ̂̔Š̒͝ ̏͐ͨ̄͌N̑ͯŎT͜H̿̀͝I͂̆̓͢N͘Gͣ̐̂̃̑̂ ͪͯͧͦ̂͏O̢ͥUT̶̈ͥ́̿̒ ͥ̒̊̉̆̾̚͝T͊̍̀̚H͂͗̐͒̿ͪ͌E̒̀̓Rͫ̃̌̀̊Ę̇̾ͪ̔ͩͮ͒

Gordon could feel his heart racing at the words. The phrase entered his mind, breaking through all his rational thought as his paranoia started to kick in. Part of him started to suspect that there really was nothing out there for him anymore in more ways than one. Would he ever be free of what happened a month ago? Was he doomed to constantly relive these moments every night he fell asleep? If he couldn’t even fix himself how the hell was he supposed to raise a kid? His marriage already didn’t work out for him, so what kind of future could he expect? He was out of a job now too. Was there anything out there for him?

“There’s… Something. There has to be!” Gordon muttered as a new barrage of mental pain hit him. The voices seemed to pick up on his distress, and continued to torment him. 

Y̛̩͓̼̺͂̇̂͜ó͉̟̤͐̏u̢̡͙͊̂͑ ̺͙̥͂̐͐k̟͍̈͆i̡͓̪l̨̘͚̾͊̆l̖̣̭̝̉̂͒̇e̱͇̜͉̳̾̏́̓͠d̰̮͑͝ ̦̕ā̙ ͉̪̭̃͋̊̕͟ḷ̪̹̈̈̌ot̢̥̖͖̾̋̾̃ ̞͇̤̦͒́̓̊o͡ͅf ̞̞̪̱̃͊̋̓m͔͗e̦̽n ̗̲͂̊͢͡Ğ͎̖͐ō̻͇̦̾̕͝ͅr̼̣̅̓ḏ͋ơ͖̟͙̗̍̄͝n͎̘̔͊

Gordon shook his head trying to clear it. He wanted the voice to shut up, needed it to be silent. He didn’t want to remember all the fucked up things at Black Mesa. All the fucked up things he had to do in order to stay alive. All the innocent people that died there, all the choices he could’ve done better, all the trauma he could’ve avoided if he had just called in sick that day instead of showing up late, all the ‘what ifs’ playing out in his mind.

Y̩͚̮̫̋̊̊͛ou̡̟̬̇͊̕’͍̠͐̄r̲͎̽̇e͎̚ ̤́a̖̾ ̱̜̣̀̂̔̌͢m̨̥̦̖͗̑͐̂u̺͗̍ͅŕ̯̱͊d̛͔è̱͕̜̠̉̒͡r̘̩̋ȩ͓̤̹̓̋̿̿͢͠r͙̖̋͑!̞̦͔̐͌̉

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” He shouted. 

̧͂I͙̖̓͞ ̣͒h̛͓̘̅a͇̥̞̝͑̊̐̐v̖̮̈́̇e͖͕̿ ̰̞̙͙̎͆̋͐ṅ͎͉͙́͞o ̺̼̌̕g̟̤̲̞͊́̇͘u̖͙͒i̡̭̟͎̽͛̿l̻͐t̯̣̞̥̓̊͋̎ ̛̟̱̉̌͜ẅ̠́e̠̓i̛̜̱̇g̢̚ḧ̝͇̓̿̽͢͜in͉̿̌͢ĝ̬̞̋ ̜̙̓͋o̮̣̘̳͆̐̓͡n ̥̙̬̥̓̈̍̎my͓̪̹̐͊͆͑͜ ̖̦̲͙́̾̊̕con̻͘s͚̈́c̹̯̱̔̉͗i̦̘̊̓͆͜o͎̤͓͗̔͑̃͢us̥͈̼͙̾̒͋͆ G̨̗͎̃͂̍̚͢o̼͆r̛̯d̠̟̉̐o̖̅n̮͙̺̝̊̇͑̕.̨̤̜͛͑̚ ̡̡̣͒͘͠C͚̣̿̃ą̫̤̑͑͊n̙̘̭͔̾͘͝͠ ̞̣̱͊̾͋y̫̌ơ̦̮̘̭̽̅͘u̖̘̔͋ ̤̹͓͈̂̾̉sä̻̇̚͟ͅỷ̰͕̩̉̕ ̘͓͎̎͂̈́͑ͅt̘̟͐̅ḧ͉ê̗ ͉̬̪͆̆͗s͉̝̈͡ã͚m͔̞̤͉̅̊́̉e̖͓͎̻͑̒̃̒?͎̠̆̐

“I- I did what I had to! It-It wasn’t my fault…” Gordon said, realizing he was reasoning with himself more than the whoever was talking to him. The splashing of the water was being drowned out by the accusatory voices running rampant in his mind. He couldn’t focus. It was getting to be too much. “It wasn’t!”

Å̢͚̪̐͟͡ç̧̖̀̍̆̕͜c̗̗̾̔ep̠͖̳̓̋̚t̖̑a̪̞͕͔͗̏̾̔̂͜b͉̭̮̩̑̈́̌̅l͓͚̞͂͡͝e͖̥̾̐ l͕̘̚͞ö̼͎s̘͝ŝ̙͖͛e͈̣͔̽͂͠s̖̪̩̰̎͐̕.

“No! They weren’t! If I had just tried harder, we could’ve saved more people!”

Suddenly Gordon’s foot came into contact with something solid, and he tripped over it, having not been paying attention since he had his eyes closed the whole time while running. He tumbled forward, getting drenched in the warm black water as he rolled along the ground. 

Gordon didn’t bother to get up. He laid there in the water, grasping his head and writhing in agony as the whispers whisked around inside his mind, muttering things indistinctly. It felt like his brain was being clawed and ripped open by invisible talons. The voices buzzed in his brain like a hive of bees, now talking over each other. They somehow seemed… excited? Then they slowly collected themselves becoming clearer. It sent an icy chill down Gordon's spine as the male and female counterpart spoke in tandem once more. 

You͏ fo͝u͜nd͘ h̡i͞m.

And suddenly like a fog lifting, the unwelcome presence and pressure in his mind slowly dissipated. The worst migraine in his life was over. For now. Hopefully it wouldn’t come back. Gordon just laid there, taking in shaky breaths, relishing that his thoughts were becoming his own again, while also trying to calm his heart rate.

He took a few minutes to collect himself and register that the strange entity in his brain had said that he had found “him”. Gordon had no clue what that meant or who “he” was. He rolled over and propped himself on his elbows to take a look at what had caused him to trip. And his heart sank.

There laying in the water across from him was another human figure, its back to him, unmoving. But not just any figure. It was wearing the all too familiar Black Mesa security guard uniform and helmet. There was no doubt in Gordon’s mind who this was. It was indeed him.

Benrey. 

“No, no, no. Fuck this.” Gordon shook his head and immediately hopped to his feet, taking several steps backwards away from the prone body. His heart was set racing once more. 

The figure remained motionless and silent. Which seemed very uncharacteristic for Benrey. It made Gordon pause, even though every part of him was screaming to stay away, to remember what happened at Black Mesa. He wanted to leave. And yet, he didn’t. He just stood there for a few moments, realizing that Benrey was the only thing he’s found after hours worth of walking. Surely it couldn’t be coincidence.

He cautiously took a step forward, then paused again. Slowly Gordon pulled his leg back and with all his might he kicked out at the water at his feet, sending a large wave to come crashing over the inert body. 

It remained there. Unmoving. Not even a twitch.

He wasn’t sure what possessed himself to inch forward, but that’s what he did regardless. Cautiously he circled around to the front of the body, keeping a wide arc of space in front of himself, watching diligently for any sign of movement. He then confirmed his affirmation from earlier now that he could see his face, it was indeed Benrey.

Benrey had his eyes closed, half his face buried in the black water as he lay on his side. Gordon noticed he still had bullet wounds that pierced his protective vest, most likely from their last encounter. He was also acutely aware that the man was not breathing. 

“That’s right… You’re dead. We killed you.” Gordon breathed a sigh of shaky relief. Although he wasn’t sure being stuck with a corpse of his enemy in a damp dark void was how he wanted to spend his time. In fact he found it strange that after hours of wading through this place that out of anything he could’ve found it had to be Benrey. He had to have been cursed.

“Yeah, you did kill me. But I got better.” Came a delayed but muffled response.

“Jesus! Fuck!” Gordon could not help the strangled yelp of surprise that escaped his throat as he jumped backwards. He glanced back down to see one dull yellow eye staring up at him. Benrey had a smirk on his face that made Gordon just want to punch it right off.

“Welcooooomme!” Benrey announced, mouth half full of water causing it to become gargled. “Sup, Feetman?”

“No! Fuck you. Fuck this! You’re such a dick. You’re going to give me heart failure and I’m only twenty-seven man.” Gordon glowered, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. Of course the bastard wasn’t dead. He was like a damn phoenix that just kept rising back up from the ashes of whatever eternal hell Gordon was in. A very very annoying phoenix. Gordon spun on his heels, turning and walking away. “I'm not dealing with this. I’m not going to play along. I’m leaving in fact. Don’t follow me.”

“Aww, comon bro.” Benrey whined, “Don’t go. Look, I almost killed you, you definitely killed me. It’s all in the past. What’s a little murder between buds? Friends? Please?”

“HA!” Gordon snorted, turning his head to see surprisingly,that Benrey was still laying there. He had made no attempt to get up and follow like Gordon thought he would. “That’s not how it works. You don’t just get to hit reset and start over. Your actions have consequences dude.”

“...” Benrey was silent for a few moments. Perhaps lost in thought, perhaps actually listening to what Gordon had to say and was self reflecting about what he’s done. What he’s caused. 

“You shouldn’t be here.” Or, he was just being Benrey.

“Dude, you just asked me to stay like twenty seconds ago,” Gordon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a few more steps in stride. He was determined to get as far away from the security guard as he could. “And I don't want to be here. Wherever here is. I’m trying to leave. So if you want me gone, point me to the closest ex-”

Gordon fell to his knees as an excruciating pain slammed into his head. The strange voices were back, and this time swirling around his brain like a pack of wolves circling a cornered elk. They didn’t seem excited anymore. They were hungry. They ripped at his mind, ravenous and desperate. No time for taunting cryptic words or soft whispers, only a loud need. Gordon cried out in anguish, doubling over and clawing at his own temples. 

There was a question asked. A physical one that reached his ears, but it was muted over the excruciating headache he was having. It was probably Brenry making a snide remark at him. Gordon ignored it and let out another distressful wail. Another question was asked. It sounded… Worried? Concerned? Or maybe it was more annoyed. It didn’t matter, the only thing Gordon could focus on was the pain.

Then there was a soft humming noise. The sound was slowly breaking through the torrent of consuming hunger. Gordon latched onto it, using it as an anchor to ground himself. The voices hissed and grasped at Gordon’s mind sending in fresh waves of pain but the humming seemed to slowly drive them back. The presence began to leave his mind once more, leaving a lingering emotion of anger and agitation. And then Gordon felt a slow but steady calm begin to work its way through his body. 

Gordon gasped, breathing heavily as he dropped his hands from his head and slowly opened his eyes. Luminous orbs of dark blue light floated gently around him. Their light giving an aura that radiated a soothing and calm energy. The Black Mesa sweet voice. Gordon’s head whipped around to stare accusingly at Benrey. He staggered to his feet and stormed over to the guard, who still hadn’t moved from where he was. 

“What the hell was that?” Gordon gestured vaguely behind himself, pointing to where the orbs still hovered in the air. “What did you just do to me?” 

Benrey’s eyes were closed again and he didn’t answer right away. Sluggishly he cracked open his eye to look at Gordon. “Huh?”

“Don’t you ‘huh’ or ‘wha’ me! What. Did. You. Do? What the fuck were those voices in my head?”

“You needed to calm down. So I calmed you down.” Benrey stated matter of factly, still through a mouthful of water. “S’not my fault you’re so scared of the dark that you hear voices bro.”

“I’m not-! I’m not scared of the dark!” Gordon hissed back, pulling at his hair in frustration. Talking with Benrey always pissed him off. The guard just knew how to push all the right buttons to get under his skin. He couldn’t help but think that Benrey knew more than he was letting on about the voices, but at this rate he knew he wasn’t going to get a straight answer out of him. “Ok fine, FINE. Guess I’m the only one hearin’ the voices. Great. So tell me this then, what the hell is this place? Where are we? This some sort of dream that you’ve astral projected yourself into? Or is this hell? Because it’s definitely starting to feel more like hell to me.”

“Neither…” Benrey muttered softly. Gordon noticed Benrey’s eye start to lose its focus, looking past him further into the void. He slowly closed it with a thoughtful hum before going quiet. Gordon waited a few moments, waiting for Benrey to finish his explanation, or say something sporadic, or something dumb and nonsensible but nothing came. 

“Uh, Benrey?” 

“Hmmm…?”

“You good there buddy?” Gordon had no idea why he asked. He shouldn’t care. This was Benrey after all. The monster that nearly killed him and the rest of the science team a month ago. And yet, something about seeing him so quiet and so still was very unsettling to Gordon. All the other times he had come back, he was instantly up and in Gordon’s business, mocking him,making some sort of video game reference, and trying to get his attention. And now he was here, laying motionless in the water while Gordon just yelled at him. Gordon’s anger began to dissipate and instead started turning into concern. Curse his bleeding heart.

“Dawww, scaredy cat Feetman does care.” Came the mocking response as Benrey opened his eye to lock onto Gordon. ”I’m just dandy. The pinnacle of health.” 

“Oh yeah?” Gordon rolled his eyes. He sighed. Relenting, he joined in on the banter. “Well then, why don’t you sit up so we can have a proper conversation and I don’t have to learn Atlantian to try and understand you through a mouthful of water.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“You’re also not breathing. Not sure if you knew that.”

“Yeah, don’t feel like it. Breathing is lame and is a pain in the ass to do. It’s like, ‘in’, ‘out’, ‘in’, ‘out’. Too time consuming. Real cringe.”

“You also still have bullet wounds in your chest. I don’t normally count that as healthy.”

“Hey bro, I’m not allergic to bullets, unlike you. I’m going to try and make it a new fashion statement.”

“What? I- I don’t think that’s how that works.” Gordon decided he should really try to get the conversation back on track. If Benrey was feeling good enough to banter back and forth with him like this, then surely he was fine. Right? “So you didn’t hear the voices?”

“Just yours. Screaming like a banshee.” Benrey said, taking a moment to look away towards the water and blow bubbles.

“Okay, so what is this place? You said it wasn’t hell and isn’t a dream. Where are we?” Gordon asked again. 

“That’s classified.” Benrey’s attention was back on him now. That golden eye searching his face, studying him. It was unnerving how it seemed to analyze him, like a predator watching its prey. Even though Brenrey hadn’t moved an inch, a twinge of paranoia and fear set in. Gordon shifted his weight uneasily. 

“Ok, do you know how I got here and how I can leave?” 

“No. You shouldn’t be here.” 

Gordon groaned. He was starting to get agitated, his patience beginning to wear thin with the overused line and going back to square one. “Look I know-” 

“Rude, you didn’t let me finish,” Benrey cut him off. He paused to give a thoughtful hum. “You never listen man. That’s why you’re so mean. Gordon Meanman. I know the way out.”

“Oh,” Gordon said dumbly. He squinted at him, not sure if he fully trusted anything Benrey had to say. And hoping to god that the guard was going to say something coherent and not crazy. “Where? There’s nothing out here.”

“On one condition” Benrey replied, a wide smirk worming its way onto his face and a mischievous glint in his eye. “Give Benrey a smooch? Please? Kiss for Benrey?”

“Urg! Of fucking course. There it is.” Gordon said, having lost all patience now, throwing his arms out to the side in exasperation. “You know, I really can’t do this with you. You are unbearable.”

Benrey just chuckled, the water in his mouth making it come out as more of a choked gargle. He was clearly delighted to get a ruse out of him. Benrey closed his eye and muttered, “Comon bro. One little smooch. Or at least a hug? You never did give me one back before we fought. And we used to be such good friends.”

“No! Absolutely not.” Gordon turned, preparing to leave again. He wanted to, but was acutely aware that last time he tried to storm off from Benrey he nearly passed out from the pain of whatever was whispering into his brain. Benrey seemed to be able to neutralize whatever it was with his sweet voice, and Gordon came to the dreadful realization he might have to stick around the guard. Just his luck. 

Suddenly Gordon took notice that it was steadily getting darker. Confused he looked up, noticing that the floating orbs Benrey had used on him earlier were starting to fade and disappear, taking their small yet comforting light with them. And suddenly it felt like the world was in a much deeper pit of black. 

Gordon glanced around. There was a feeling, almost like a sixth sense that warned him that this was bad. Very bad. Something was out there lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting. Biding its time for him to make another wrong move. Probably the owner of those voices. And at that moment, he hated to admit it but Benrey was actually right. He was afraid of the dark. This dark. 

“Ok Benrey. You win. You were right, I am scared of the dark.” Gordon hated how his voice quivered with fear. He took a step backwards towards Benrey’s prone form, his heart beat racing and his eyes darting around trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything in the darkness. “Look, I hate the Black Mesa sweet voice, but can I get some light? And then maybe we can talk about the possibility of a hug or something.”

There was no response.

“Benrey…?” Gordon turned, seeing Benrey laying motionless in the water. His instincts told him that Benrey was not the major threat in here, opting that the unknown was far more dangerous than a guard who has done nothing but spit lame comments at him with a mouthful of water. Gordon rushed over and knelt beside him, lightly shaking Benrey’s shoulder. “Dude, stop messing around. I- I think im having a panic attack and this is so not cool if you’re fucking with me.”

Benrey did not stir. Not good. Not good at all. 

Gordon felt his fear overflowing, threatening to take him over completely. Whatever it was that was out there was closing in on them. He felt a strange sense of claustrophobia even though there were no walls in this place. Instinctively he knew they had to move, and move now.

Gordon grabbed Benrey’s arm, and swung it behind his neck and over his shoulder, his other arm grabbing Benrey’s torso. He went to stand up but nearly fell over as Benrey remained where he was, unbudging. Gordon frowned. He didn’t think Benrey was that heavy. He re-positioned himself, and this time bracing, he pulled harder. Benrey started to rise, but to Gordon’s horror black tendrils of water were wrapped around the guard where he had been laying, pulling him back down, not wanting to let go. It was almost like he was stuck in some sort of tar pit.

Gordon cursed, straining to break Benrey free. He could now faintly hear the soft and indistinct voices playing at the edge of his mind. He cursed some more. It felt like his heart was going to rip itself free of its chest. Sheer panic gave him the strength to give a hearty tug that finally tore apart the water from clinging to the unconscious guard. Without hesitation, Gordon took all of Benrey’s weight and ran.

Benrey remained completely limp in his arms, creating extra drag that slowed him down. But the important thing is that they were running. They were getting further away from the dreadful presence. Gordon didn’t stop sprinting, even long after the whispers had disappeared. He only slowed down when the burning in his lungs finally overcame him and left him gasping for air. He was sweating profusely and his legs ached from the stress of running through ankle high water and carrying Benrey’s dead weight for who knows how long. He paused to catch his breath. The feeling of being followed was gone, but Gordon didn’t want to risk staying in one spot for any extended amount of time. So he took a deep breath and continued onwards, this time at a more casual pace, casting worried glances at the guard every few minutes. 

It must have been at least an hour of walking along in silence until finally his companion began to stir. Gordon instantly paused in his trek to look over at the guard. Benrey made a small groan and blearily opened his eyes. 

“Dude, what happened to you? Are you okay?” Gordon asked. 

“Huh? Wha?” Benrey lifted his head and slowly turned towards him. It looked like it took a lot of effort for him just to do so. He blinked. Then suddenly Benrey pitched forward, nearly sending them both crashing into the water had Gordon not caught his balance in time. He began heaving with wet ragged coughs.

“Oh dude, gross.” Gordon said, watching with sympathetic disgust as Benrey spewed out black water from his mouth. Gordon felt like he was back in college, carrying one of his drunk friends home after a late night drinking party. He knelt down so it’d be easier on them both. Feeling awkward, Gordon patted and rubbed Benrey’s back, unsure of what to do at that moment.

“Oh.” Benrey replied casually, then paused to give another feeble cough and spitting out more water. “ Guess I’m breathing again.That sucks.” 

“Uh,” Gordon was caught off guard by how nonchalant he was being. But he did notice now that Benrey’s chest was slowly rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. “Isn’t that a good thing? Means you’re alive right?”

“Mmm, s’pose.” Benrey gave a weak shrug and turned to look at him again with a slight head tilt. “And you happened.”

“Huh?” Gordon blinked, confused.

Benrey rolled his eyes, “You happened to me. Your brain broken there Feetman? I thought you were a scientist. Aren’t they nerds? Supposed to be smart? But you seem to forget a lot of things. You’re sort of dumb. You asked what happened to me. And you did. You killed me. And now I’m here.”

“Oh.” said Gordon awkwardly. Benrey’s words didn’t have any real bite to them. Just a statement and his usual taunting japes, but Gordon was unsure of where to go from here. He didn’t fully trust the guard yet, and was still uncertain if there was any kind of grudge for killing him. Tentatively he wrapped his arm back around Benrey and stood up, taking up most of his weight once more. “Uh, sorry? I guess?”

“S’okay. Like I said, I got better.” Benrey opened his mouth, and for a moment Gordon thought he was going to throw up more water. But instead he just frowned, closed his mouth and tried again. A very quiet but melodic hum came from deep in Benrey’s throat, producing a single new glowing orb. 

Although this one was strange, as it wasn’t just one solid color like they usually were. The top of it was teal that faded into green, and it didn’t look very sturdy. Almost like a bubble that was wavering on the verge of popping. It gave off a faint glow, and Gordon could feel his energy slowly returning to him as he stood in its light. He remembered that Benrey did these colors once or twice around the dead soldiers in black mesa. Gordon struggled to remember what Tommy had said it meant. Teal to green is a healing beam? Oh. Looks like Benrey was trying to heal himself. He must still be hurt.

Benrey reached up and carefully grabbed it with his free hand and a huff of disappointment. Clearly he was expecting something more from his sweet voice. He cradled the orb close to his chest, and nudged his head in a direction, a signal for Gordon to start moving. Gordon nodded back, and together they slowly trekked through the waters. 

They walked in silence for a long while. Benrey was doing better at staying awake and more alert, seemingly getting his strength slowly back. Gordon was focused solely on trying to make any sort of progression, and ignore the fact of just how weird this whole situation was. Which was hard when everything looked the same.

“Have you been here the whole time since Black Mesa?” Gordon asked, deciding to break the silence with a question that had been forming in his mind as he stared at the pale green light reflecting off the rippling water’s surface from the orb. 

“Huh? I mean yeah. I guess so.” Benrey replied, with his usual apathy. But Gordon could’ve sworn he heard the briefest bit of sadness in his voice. “How long ago was that?”

“You don’t know how long ago it was?” Gordon asked, before realizing just how hard it was to tell time in here. After all he had no idea how long he had been in here. “It was nearly two months ago Benrey.” 

“Oh.” 

“Is that why you're dressed like shit?” Benrey remarked, looking Gordon up and down. Clearly judging him on his attire of his orange tee and grey sweatpants.

“Hey man, these are my casual clothes. And I like them. They’re comfortable. At least when they’re not water soaked.” Gordon rolled his eyes at the guard. He debated about letting go of him to just see if Benrey would fall face first into the water,but decided against it. “But I guess you’ve never seen me without the HEV suit.”

Benrey just turned away and mumbled something indistinctly that Gordon couldn’t quite catch. He decided to let it go and just continued forward.

“So how do we get out of here?” Gordon finally asked. He just wanted to go home. He was getting so sick of this place.

“We?” Benrey repeated, sounding a tad confused.

“Yeah, ‘we’,” Gordon assumed Benrey was coming with him. He did know where the exit was after all. And he was starting to feel guilty. He couldn’t imagine being stuck here alone in this shitty place for longer than a day, let alone nearly two months. “This place sucks dude. And look, once we’re both out then we can figure out the rest I guess. A truce maybe?”

Benrey turned to look at him. Gordon swore he saw a flicker of hope flash in his gaze before he turned away, putting back on his apathetic appearance and held up a hand to stop him. “The way out is there.”

Gordon waited for him to point in a direction, or for some magic doorway to appear. Something, anything. Benrey glanced at him, then back down towards the water. He dropped the glowing black mesa sweet voice orb into the liquid, where it broke the surface with a satisfying ‘plip’. It sank, lighting up the water and turning it from the dull black to a beautiful glowing teal. Gordon watched as it sank further and further down, as if there was no bottom.

“Uh, Benrey? Something going to show up, or are we swimming? Because you know I can only hold my breath for like, a minute right? How deep is it?”

“I dunno bro.” He shrugged. “Never been down there. Just know the exit is down.”

“Great.” Their light was starting to fade as it continued to sink deeper. It was now or never he supposed. Gordon took a few deep breaths, preparing to hold his breath for however long he could.“Guess it’s just like what Dr. Coomer would say, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Alright, ready? Let’s go!” 

Gordon sucked in a large breath and took a step forward taking Benrey with him. He was mentally prepared to walk off some unforeseen cliff and plunge wholly into the water, but stumbled when his foot didn’t sink any further. Confused, he took another step. Still no drop to the deep. He took three more. And yet they remained above it all. He turned to look back at Benrey. 

“What? Nothing happened. Why?” Gordon sputtered out. “You sure this is it?”

“Yes.” Benrey wouldn’t look at him. He just stared at the ground. The light faded, returning the water to its putrid black hue and leaving them in the dark.

“What’s going on Benrey?” Gordon asked. He was starting to get the feeling that Benrey was keeping something from him. He shrugged off Benrey’s arm and stepped away from the guard. “Stop dodging my questions. Give me a straight answer. I'm getting so sick and tired of this bullshit. I know you don’t owe me a lot, but damn it I think I deserve to know what’s going on.”

Benrey was unsteady on his feet for a few moments,but slowly regained his balance and turned to look Gordon in the face. He briefly looked distressed before it was replaced by a look of annoyance. He opened his mouth and began to hum, many small orbs appearing and floating in the air. Pink to indigo.

“What does that even mean? You know I can’t read sweet voice like Tommy can.” Gordon groaned in annoyance then sighed when Benrey’s reply was simply a huff. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Ok, so maybe we hang here and take a break. Try and figure something out.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Benrey grumbled. 

Gordon took his time to walk around near the area that Benrey had initially dropped the healing beam orb, looking for anything out of the ordinary using the new sweet voice orbs light as guidance. But there was nothing there. He even tried getting on his hands and knees to sift through the water, seeing if there was anything to grab or if he could reach down further than what he could stand in. But it was all the same flat wet surface. He eventually gave up, and sat down, not caring that he was getting soaked again. He glanced over to see what his companion was up to.

Benrey had been watching him for the first few minutes, but since then he had been pacing back and forth, occasionally mumbling and replacing the floating globules when their light was starting to fade. 

Gordon sat there for a few more minutes, trying to come up with a plan on what to do next. For some reason it seemed like Benrey’s sweet voice could go deeper, so maybe if he got Benrey to sing into the water more would be revealed? It was worth a shot anyway. 

He stood up and took a step towards the pacing guard,ready to propose his thoughts when suddenly, there was a racking pain in his chest and all the air left him. He grabbed at his sides as he gasped, feeling like someone had just punched him in the gut. Benrey paused his back and forth walking, stopping to tilt his head at Gordon quizzically. His eyebrows raised in a silent question.

Gordon sucked in a painful breath. He didn’t understand. He didn’t feel the presence or hear any of the voices that had caused him pain before. There was no warning for whatever was happening to him now. There was a weight on his chest that made his ribs ache and made it difficult to breathe. 

“Benrey, what’s happening?” He managed to wheeze out as another jump in pressure winded him for a second time. 

“I dunno.” He sounded genuinely just as confused as he was. “How’s your cholesterol bro? Hitting up McDonalds too much? You did mention a heart attack earlier.”

“Ha ha, not fucking funny and you know it asshole. Pretty sure that’s not it.” 

Gordon took a lurching step forward. His eyes grew wide in shock as the ground beneath his foot shattered like ice on a lake. He began to fall, and instinctively he reached out to catch himself. He managed to snag Benrey by the arm. Benrey had a moment to blink in surprise before he was pulled down with him. 

Gordon was plunged into the warm waters, much like the teal orb he began to sink. It felt like there was something invisible pulling at his legs, dragging him down. The only thing that was stopping him from sinking further was Benrey, who seemed to still be stuck above the surface. 

Gordon clung desperately to Benrey in a panic. He wasn’t prepared for this to happen. He didn’t have time to suck in a breath. He didn’t have any air. He couldn’t breathe. He was going to drown unless Benrey pulled him up. 

Benrey, realizing what happened grabbed Gordon’s arm in return, and tried to pull him out. Gordon kicked out against the water, slowly rising. But just before his head could break the surface it bumped into an invisible barrier. It was like there was a glass wall between the two of them, with his arm that was holding Benrey being the only thing able to pass through. 

Gordon opened his mouth and gave a muffled shout of alarm, his remaining air emerging from his mouth as a cluster of bubbles. He pounded at the barrier with his free hand, desperately trying to break through. Benrey kept tugging and pulling, but to no avail. Gordon was stuck. 

Benrey stared down at him, eyes scanning his face as his lungs screamed at him. His vision was beginning to dim. He was starting to lose consciousness. He watched in growing horror as Benrey looked straight at him, and slowly released his grip on Gordon’s arm.

Gordon tried his best to still cling fruitlessly to Benrey’s sleeve. But whatever was dragging him down was stronger. He didn’t have the energy anymore. Everything was getting fuzzy and it was hard to focus. The last thing he saw was Benrey looking down at him forlornly, dark red and grey orbs bubbling out of the guard’s mouth before the darkness of the water embraced him fully into unconsciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Sweet Voice Translations:  
> Teal to green means healing beam  
> Pink to indigo is i don’t want you to go  
> Red to stone means please don't leave me alone.
> 
> This is my very first time writing a full chapter and posting it online. I hope its ok! Sorry for any mistakes, its currently 6:00 am and im just excited to get this out there finally after working on it for like 2 weeks.
> 
> Also i promise the skeleton will come into play more in later chapters. >:)
> 
> Feel free to come talk to me on my tumblr! Its calloftheabyss.tumblr.com


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